History of District 13 - Free and Accepted Masons of Washington

"The realignment of the Masonic Districts made official at the 2005 Annual Communication, I thought a look at the history of District No. 13 might be in order.

The information found herein is gleaned from the proceedings of the Grand Lodge dating back to 1933. I had fun researching this; I hope that you enjoy reading it."

- Jim MendozaDeputy of the Grand Master in District No. 13 (June 2004 – June 2006)

At the 1933 Annual Communication, W\ John H Reid of University Lodge No. 141 submitted a resolution to implement the District Deputy Grand Master system in the Grand Jurisdiction of Washington.

This was put forth in the belief that “Masonry in the Grand Jurisdiction of Washington will be strengthened and benefited by the adoption of the system of District Deputy Grand Masters, now in operation in other jurisdictions, and that the vast number of details demanding the time of the Grand Master can be more conveniently and adequately delegated by him, and further that the Craft in general of the State will come to a better and more complete understanding of the operation of the Grand Lodge, the duties of its officers and its committees, and that to this end the constituent Lodges will receive the help, guidance, and instruction they may require.”

It was the recommendation of the Committee on Jurisprudence that W\ Reid’s proposal not be accepted. However, a majority – though not unanimous – of the brethren present favored the idea, and M\ W\ John Roberts laid it over for final consideration at the next annual communication.

At the 1934 Annual Communication M\ W\ John Preissner recommended passage of this carry over resolution, and the office of District Deputy Grand Master was established, duties defined, and the jurisdiction divided into Districts.

The Grand Master was empowered to select 30 brethren to initially serve as Deputies. Ten would serve one year terms; ten would serve two year terms; and ten would serve three year terms. Those selected were granted the title of Right Worshipful Sir. Below is a list of those brethren who have been honored to serve this Grand Jurisdiction as Deputy of the Grand Master in District No. 13 along with notes of historical interest.

At the 1943 Annual Communication W\ Gail Huhn of Daniel Bagley No. 238 submitted a resolution to change the title given to District Deputies from Right Worshipful to Very Worshipful. Part of this resolution included changing the designation of the office to Deputy of the Grand Master in District No. _____.

The rationale behind the proposal was that “confusion results from the fact that we have a Deputy Grand Master, who is an elective officer, and District Deputy Grand Masters who are appointive.”

The title of Very Worshipful would accord Deputies “a distinctive and permanent title in keeping with their rank and authority, and would leave the title of Right Worshipful applicable only to elective Grand Officers.”

As for changing the designation of the office, it was offered that the new designation “more accurately described the position.”

While receiving a majority favorable but not unanimous, the amendment was laid aside for final consideration at the next Annual Communication where it was subsequently approved. Interestingly enough, it was further determined that the section of the amendment that specifically referred to title be made retroactive.

At the 1953 Annual Communication a resolution was brought to the floor recommending that the term of any brother serving as Deputy be a maximum of two years. It was the feeling of those proposing the amendment that “a shorter term will afford an opportunity for a larger number of Brothers to participate, and thus stimulate greater interest in Grand Lodge affairs.” This amendment was recommended for passage by the Committee on Jurisprudence and subsequently accepted by the brethren.

In his report to the brethren, M\ W\ Alfred Ring recommended “the rearranging of Districts 4, 5, 6, 7, and 13 and new District formed, namely 31, so that there would be an average of 10 lodges in each District.”

This was done in part as “the large number of lodges in District No. 4 (15 to be exact) has made it rather burdensome for the Deputy in said District.”

In the 2003 - 2004 Masonic year, a special study group was commissioned to review the size and scope of all Masonic Districts within the Grand Jurisdiction.

The following considerations were used in evaluating District realignments:

Desirability of reducing large Districts to a more manageable size.

Reduce the travel and driving time required by District Deputies for Lodge visitations.

Assign all Lodges meeting in the same building to the same District.

Resolve irregularities in the District numbering system.

The careful analysis performed by these dedicated brethren revealed significant changes primarily in the Puget Sound region as a result of Lodge consolidations and/or transferring to different locations. Taking into account the criteria used to evaluate the Districts and the dynamics of changes already made or scheduled, M\W\ Sat Tashiro announced on January 5, 2005 the following changes with respect to District No. 13:

St. Andrews No. 35 and Tyee No. 115, The Wayfarer’s Daylight Lodge would be reassigned to District No. 6.

Corinthian No. 38 and Phoenix No. 154 would be reassigned to District No. 15.

These changes became effective upon the receipt and approval of the M\ W\ Tashiro’s report to the Grand Lodge on June 8, 2005.

[1] Elected Grand Master, June 1947[2] Elected Grand Master, June 1968[3] Elected Grand Master, June 1977[4] Elected Grand Master, June 1981[5] Elected Grand Master, June 1989[6] Elected Grand Master, June 1990[7] Elected Honorary Past Grand Master, Grand Lodge of Alaska, 1997[8] Elected Grand Master, June 2005[9] Elected Grand Master, June 2016